Ben Roethlisberger is missing the sling he wore for a week to protect his still-healing upper chest/shoulder/rib injury.

He moved his right arm normally and didn’t appear to be in significant pain, as he looked to be last week. He did not talk with reporters Wednesday.

Coach Mike Tomlin expressed optimism Tuesday that his quarterback was healing quickly. There still isn’t a time frame for his recovery, partly because no other NFL player of recent vintage has had the injury.

• Receiver Antonio Brown, out for two games with a high ankle sprain, did some limited work, but there is no expectation he will play Sunday in Cleveland. Running back Isaac Redman was full go in practice after passing his post-concussion test; the day before, he said he was “a little woozy.” Safety Troy Polamalu still hasn’t practiced since Oct. 5. Receiver Jerricho Cotchery (ribs), quarterback Byron Leftwich (ribs), right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) and defensive end Ziggy Hood (back) also were out.

• This will be running back Trent Richardson’s first Steelers-Browns game. But while the Cleveland rookie hasn’t seen one, he has heard all about the rivalry. “I know that this town hates the Steelers,” he said. “From what I hear, if you beat the Steelers, everything just sticks out about it. The whole season is forgotten. You could be a championship team if you beat the Steelers.” But it won’t be the biggest rivalry game he’s played in. He considers Alabama-Auburn to be bigger. “It’s huge,” the former Crimson Tide standout said. “Alabama-Auburn is too big.”

• Rookie right guard David DeCastro was on the practice field for the first time since Aug. 23, two days before he tore up his right knee. The Steelers have three weeks to put him on the 53-man roster, or he must remain on injured reserve. “I’m just trying to come out every day and get better, get healthier,” said DeCastro, who has “no idea” if he will play this season. He has been working out with a strength coach but said nothing can replicate being in practice.

• How about this pass combination: (nearly) 38-year-old Charlie Batch to 35-year-old Plaxico Burress? Both are at an advanced age, NFL-wise, but Batch said a player is old only if he feels old. “My body feels great but still had to prove you could do it; you’re still proving it to the players, and they still have to believe you can get the job done.” The only accommodation to his age, he said, is “you spend a lot of time in the ice tub. But I’m not the only one in this locker room who feels that way. We’ve got a lot of 30-year-olds (16 of them) on this team.”

• Burress is wearing No. 80, the same number he wore previously with the Steelers. He was No. 17 with the Jets, but that number is taken by Mike Wallace. “I went back to my old number so (fans) wouldn’t have to go out and buy jerseys,” Burress said. “A lot of my friends and family went through their closets and knocked the dust off and put it back on.”

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected back for Week 13 against Baltimore...

[Steelers] Just-signed Brian Hoyer will back up Charlie Batch on Sunday for the Steelers as of now, sources said, though it is not out of the question that Roethlisberger dresses in an emergency role for the game against the Browns. Roethlisberger is making progress in his recovery from rib and shoulder injuries, sources said, and he is not in his sling as much as last week, and he remains week-to-week.

That would be great but we also dot want him coming back if he's not completely healed. I would hate to see him get drilled by Suggs and die from a rib puncturing his aorta . I'd hate to see him die just to make fans happy. It's just a game. It would be great if he was all healed up and ready to play but I don't know.

SoCalFan

11-22-2012, 06:24 PM

My fear is coming back too soon and re injuring his shoulder as Troy did his calf!

desertsteel

11-22-2012, 07:06 PM

I can live with 7-5 with a healthy Ben down the stretch rather than rushing him back for the ravens.

ChristianKustomz

11-22-2012, 07:31 PM

I agree. That rib injury is not anything to play around with. The game is not worth his life.

btaylor179

11-22-2012, 08:58 PM

yea dont need to rush him back

SoCalFan

11-22-2012, 09:19 PM

I agree. That rib injury is not anything to play around with. The game is not worth his life.

I think they have established its no longer life threatening. Doubt he would risk anything with a new born!

Rotorhead

11-22-2012, 10:27 PM

Im pretty sure the rib will be 100% healed before he can even get clearance to play, so no worries there. I would love nothing more than to humiliate Balty at their house. Then have them self destruct and give us the division.

Terminator

11-22-2012, 11:05 PM

Where does it say he's playing against the Ravens?

The title of this thread is "Roethlisberger Playing Against the Ravens".

SteelersCanada

11-22-2012, 11:11 PM

In my second post ...

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected back for Week 13 against Baltimore

It wasn't made clear in the first one, you had to read both. I was just giving an injury update on Ben, and then the rest of the Steelers in that article I linked. I figured it was relevant. When Jason LaCanfora reports something, it's usually dead on.

GoFor7

11-22-2012, 11:17 PM

Don't compare this injury to the high-ankle sprain from last year. Re-aggravating a high-ankle sprain isn't life-threatening. A rib potentially puncturing the aorta does. Ben should not try to come back early just because Yinzer Nation will go nuts if he misses both Baltimore games.

Terminator

11-23-2012, 12:50 AM

I don't believe he will be back for the Ravens game. Every doctor that ESPN, NFL.com, etc. has interviewed says they don't see this healing for 4-6 weeks.

The article in the post simply mentioned "sources". Not buying it. Even if Roethlisberger isn't in constant pain anymore, I doubt his throwing is 100%, not to mention the huge risk of re-injury.

SteelersCanada

11-23-2012, 01:09 AM

"Every doctor ..." They said that before we knew what happened to him. We still don't have any idea the full extent of his injury - at all. We know that his rib was 'dislocated', but beyond that, we don't know. Ben didn't even know, and the fact that NFL, ESPN and FOX interviewed guys before we knew anything is ridiculous.

The fact he took his sling off is a good sign. That, combined with Tomlin's optimism about Ben's injury is encouraging that he could play against the Ravens. Obviously if he's in bad shape and there's still a risk of serious injury he shouldn't play, but let's all hope it's not as serious as we once thought.

LaCanfora isn't one of those guys that writes for a headline.

Rotorhead

11-23-2012, 03:30 AM

If any of you think he will play if he isnt cleared by real doctors who a familiar with his injury are morons. If he is CLEARED to play then the threat is gone. I dont understand why some of you dont get that.

steelfury02

11-23-2012, 10:05 AM

with the string of injuries we've had over the past 2 seasons, I won't be getting my hopes up at all for a return anytime soon. If we can get him back for the last 4 games, great - if not, hope we can manage to squeek in anyways and have him ready for one tough road. It looks like the road will have to go through NE, Houston, Baltimore - that is brutal as fudge.

austinfrench76

11-23-2012, 04:59 PM

Honestly, even if he's cleared - let the Brown's game decide. Meaning, if we win and I think we will, maybe he doesn't play until San Diego. I KNOW beating Baltimore is important but we just need in the playoffs. Not neccessarily a 1 or 2 seed. Just a thought. If we somehow lose to the Clowns AND he is clear to play, he needs to play against Baltimore.

BlaZeQuietly

11-23-2012, 10:53 PM

I'm not a doctor, but I know quite a bit about medical issues, and I've had dislocations before(dislocated my elbow playing football). It is very painful but it was explained to me that the tissue that would be torn when the dislocation occurred would take 2-3 weeks to heal, and at that point I was supposed to be able to go back to work. I will tell it i took me about 2 months to feel normal again, and it was very painful for a couple weeks. A dislocation isn't a break though, its not like his bones have to heal, just the ligaments/tends or whatever soft tissue holds a rib in place, like I said I'm no doctor but I don't see why he couldn't return against baltimore . Everyone heals differently, my guess is he will be cleared, and he'll say he feels fine whether he does or not , and we will have them to beat baltimore. Heres an interesting thought. San Diego beat the ravens last year and usually does well against them, if san diego beats baltimore, and we beat the browns, the ravens match up , we would be 7-4 they would be 8-3, if we won we'd both be 8-4 and have 1 divison loss and be tied in head to head, could be interesting if the ravens slip up, I already placed a bet on the chargers, lol.

TheVet

11-24-2012, 02:16 AM

I'm not a doctor, but I'd be shocked if he was back for the Ravens game. Too soon.

MACH1

11-24-2012, 02:22 AM

I'm not a doctor, but I know quite a bit about medical issues, and I've had dislocations before(dislocated my elbow playing football). It is very painful but it was explained to me that the tissue that would be torn when the dislocation occurred would take 2-3 weeks to heal, and at that point I was supposed to be able to go back to work. I will tell it i took me about 2 months to feel normal again, and it was very painful for a couple weeks. A dislocation isn't a break though, its not like his bones have to heal, just the ligaments/tends or whatever soft tissue holds a rib in place, like I said I'm no doctor but I don't see why he couldn't return against baltimore . Everyone heals differently, my guess is he will be cleared, and he'll say he feels fine whether he does or not , and we will have them to beat baltimore. Heres an interesting thought. San Diego beat the ravens last year and usually does well against them, if san diego beats baltimore, and we beat the browns, the ravens match up , we would be 7-4 they would be 8-3, if we won we'd both be 8-4 and have 1 divison loss and be tied in head to head, could be interesting if the ravens slip up, I already placed a bet on the chargers, lol.

Must have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express.

Fire Haley

11-24-2012, 12:36 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where does it say he's playing against the Ravens?

You're right - I'm attention whoring by providing links to where I got my information from. Man, how did I get to be such an attention *****.

Again - LaCanfora isn't someone who writes for headlines.

edit - not only has this story been mentioned on NFL Network, Fox, NBC and CBS, but it's all over their website(s). But you're right, we all have a giant conspiracy to gain attention so we can be called out on the Steelers' forum. I was merely passing the message along which is gaining traction among the mainstream media because, afterall, this is a Steelers' message board and this is kind of important news.

LVSteelersfan

11-24-2012, 03:05 PM

I will not get my hopes up that he will be back for the Ratbirds. If he does play then I will be happy. Unless he gets hurt again. They better keep a TE in to block Suggs or a second RB so that the thug doesn't get to him on every passing play like last year. It just sucks that the Ratbirds have been playing like crap all year but have squeezed through with some wins they shouldn't have gotten and have the record they do. Last week was a joke. We would have blown that team out of the water with our starters in there.

El-Gonzo Jackson

11-24-2012, 03:36 PM

I'm not a doctor, but I know quite a bit about medical issues, and I've had dislocations before(dislocated my elbow playing football). It is very painful but it was explained to me that the tissue that would be torn when the dislocation occurred would take 2-3 weeks to heal, and at that point I was supposed to be able to go back to work. I will tell it i took me about 2 months to feel normal again, and it was very painful for a couple weeks. A dislocation isn't a break though, its not like his bones have to heal, just the ligaments/tends or whatever soft tissue holds a rib in place, like I said I'm no doctor but I don't see why he couldn't return against baltimore . Everyone heals differently, my guess is he will be cleared, and he'll say he feels fine whether he does or not , and we will have them to beat baltimore. Heres an interesting thought. San Diego beat the ravens last year and usually does well against them, if san diego beats baltimore, and we beat the browns, the ravens match up , we would be 7-4 they would be 8-3, if we won we'd both be 8-4 and have 1 divison loss and be tied in head to head, could be interesting if the ravens slip up, I already placed a bet on the chargers, lol.

If the first rib and clavicle compress the subclavian vein, a few things coudl happen"

1. It causes a blood clot in the axillo-subclavian vein that can break off and cause a pulmonary embolism and death.

2.. it can compress the associated nerves and result in "Thoracic Outlet Syndrome", where the nerves are damaged and the person cannot raise their arm above their head without losing sensation and feeling.

And...........there are all the other issues if the joint is even more unstable with respect to arteries being damaged, perforated and subsequent death.

If he took the sling off, it looks like the joint has stabilized somewhat. We still dont know the exact situation, but like I said, there are still potential risks and none of us can really compare this to our own situation unless we have had the same injury and running away from 300lb men is our job.

And no, I didnt stay at a holiday inn last night, but I do work in a medical related field.

The_Joker

11-24-2012, 05:09 PM

Well if Ben could be back for the Ravens I would do cartwheels!

This pretty much.

Fire Haley

11-24-2012, 05:12 PM

You're right - I'm attention whoring by providing links to where I got my information from..

Your thread title is still nothing but just another rumor - you say it like it's a fact.

I guess you can' tell fact from rumor - I bet you believe every word Florio says too.

SteelersCanada

11-24-2012, 06:20 PM

Your thread title is still nothing but just another rumor - you say it like it's a fact.

I guess you can' tell fact from rumor - I bet you believe every word Florio says too.

And if he does play, will you eat your words?

edit - in fact, ya know what, fuck it. Even if he does play, it's still a giant conspiracy to gain popularity on a Steelers' site. One more time here, really clear, I was passing along a message from a reliable source who is usually right about these things and has no reason to lie. Instead, you saw what you wanted to see. It's ok man, just relax. I was passing along information - stop trying to read between the lines.

El-Gonzo Jackson

11-24-2012, 07:10 PM

Even if he does play, it's still a giant conspiracy to gain popularity on a Steelers' site. .

Relax there fella, I dont know the whole history of you 2 guys beef, but this post is starting to sound like you ARD trying to gain popularity on a site and are defensive about it.

I just thought it was funny that he accused me of being an attention ***** by providing a news story and backing it up with a reliable source. I still don't understand, but hey, maybe I'm not supposed to.

edit - anyway, hatchet is buried. This got off topic really quickly, but I hope he's in good enough shape to play against the Ravens. We saw what this offense was without him and we need him to be under center to have a realistic chance at taking the North away from the Ravens.

tanda10506

11-24-2012, 08:20 PM

I'd love to have Ben back IF it's not a risk to his life. I'm always for him playing injured, seems like he plays better that way sometimes, but it's never worth dying for. IF he's not at risk of losing his life, and says he's ready to play, give him a shot. Remember that when we injure ourselves and go to our Dr. or take care of it ourselves it's a big difference. Ben's going to get special treatment and a "special prescription" that will help heal muscles. If Ben is struggling he can play up the injury a bit and just have them take him back to the locker room, just have Batch get a lot of practice with the 1st team the week before too. Either way I'm confident, last years defense was "smoke and mirrors" as mentioned in another thread. No real argument to that after getting Tebowed and blown out week 1. But this years defense is the real deal, maybe better then 2010, and is only getting better. Renegade getting played at Heinz Field is starting to scare people again....we got them right where we want 'em, as soon as Ben is back we'll be making a playoff run. I don't care if it's 3 on the road again, if we can win in NYG's house we can win anywhere.

“I’m not being defensive. You’re the one who’s being defensive. Why is it always the other person who’s being defensive?” :chuckle:

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/10/before-foxconn-there-was-nath.html

El-Gonzo Jackson

11-24-2012, 09:26 PM

“I’m not being defensive. You’re the one who’s being defensive. Why is it always the other person who’s being defensive?” :chuckle:

http://boingboing.net/2012/04/10/before-foxconn-there-was-nath.html

Hawaii....you are the man!! Nathan Thurm esq. Thanks,

Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala

11-25-2012, 01:18 AM

Browns are not our rivals no matter how much their fans want to think that, you have to be a good team to be our rival

El-Gonzo Jackson

11-25-2012, 01:21 AM

Browns are not our rivals no matter how much their fans want to think that, you have to be a good team to be our rival

Dont sell them short. I am actually very concerned about them. Alex Mack and Joe Thomas up front, with Phil Taylor and Dquell Jackson on the defense. They have a core of guys that can allow Richardson, Weeden, etc to make plays.

This is a classic trap game with us playing our #3 QB against a division rival. Its not like we scheduled McNeese state for homecoming.

Hawaii 5-0

11-25-2012, 01:54 AM

Ben Roethlisberger is out of a sling, teasing chances of play in Week 13

The Steelers' quarterback and newest father was reportedly out of a sling Thursday, creating a buzz over whether he'll suit up in Week 13 against Baltimore

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was reportedly not in his shoulder sling Wednesday, and Steel City Insider publisher Jim Wexell noted he pulled his shirt up over his arms and neck with ease.

Obviously, pulling a shirt off and on does little to show his ability to throw a football, but it does paint a slightly more optimistic picture than the one painted since Roethlisberger suffered an SC joint sprain during the Steelers' Week 10 game against Kansas City.

After all the hoopla surrounding the birth of his son possibly causing Roethlisberger to miss a game, he may end up not traveling with the team to Cleveland to take on the Browns in Week 12, but the possibility of him turning around and making the start against the Ravens in Baltimore in Week 13 is beginning to rise slightly toward the surface.

Much of this will depend on how the Steelers' offense is able to perform this weekend against a defense that, heading into Week 11, at least, was statistically stronger than that of the Ravens. With the Steelers putting back-ups in critical positions (quarterback, wide receiver), the Ravens were able to hold them to a less-than-average performance by the Steelers standards. They also injured both Byron Leftwich and WR Jerricho Cotchery in the process, meaning the Steelers offense on the field Sunday will have several players out of action.

Perhaps it's a step back aimed at giving them the chance to take two steps forward the following week.

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau ran his record in Pittsburgh facing rookie quarterbacks to 15-1 after thrashing Washington's Robert Griffin III in Week 8. He'll face Cleveland's rookie QB Brandon Weeden for the first of two games this season, and his defense is playing as well as it has in the last few years.

Cleveland's offense is as one-dimensional as offenses come, and LeBeau's D tees off on one-dimensional offenses. With Roethlisberger's condition improving, and the Steelers' defense having a favorable match-up this weekend, scoring a big road win in what will likely be a low-scoring affair (three of the last four games these teams played in Cleveland have combined 57 total scored points) could mean one final shot at a run at the division title by being closer to 100 percent on offense heading into Baltimore in Week 13.

Cleveland's played the Steelers tough three of the last four times they've met at Cleveland Browns Stadium, so there's certainly no more reason to look past this game than there was against Kansas City. Win or lose, though, the Steelers still have a Week 13 game, just as they have a Week 12 game, but only one of those has a chance of their starting quarterback returning to the field.

Doctors are saying the risk of further injury to his ribs no longer exists. If he can tolerate the pain next week in practice, Ben should be a go!

Troy's practicing. Brown's about healthy. Ben should be back. And Ratbird land just poopied in their pants! Take care of Cleveland and lets go! HERE WE GO CHUCK!

Fire Haley

11-25-2012, 11:43 AM

Doctors are saying the risk of further injury to his ribs no longer exists. If he can tolerate the pain next week in practice, Ben should be a go!!

more speculation - I'll believe it when I see him throwing the ball and practicing

take the needle Ben

StainlessStill

11-25-2012, 11:45 AM

Next week's practice will determine but he's on pace. He's throwing a ball here and there to get his range of motion down to see where the pain subsides so he's back with arm movement. We'll see.

steelfury02

11-26-2012, 12:28 PM

he needs to stay on the sideline, not rushing back for the hardest game of the season

Lokki

11-26-2012, 12:33 PM

he needs to stay on the sideline, not rushing back for the hardest game of the season

As much as I'd love to have him out there for the Ravens game, I agree with you. I'd rather get him back at 100% health, instead of going in at 90% health and risk injuring it further or having a set back in the healing.

BKAnthem

11-26-2012, 12:48 PM

It took me a little over a month to heal from a bruised ribs, he's ready to go with a cracked rib close to puncturing his heart? This sounds like stupidity or wishful thinking

StainlessStill

11-26-2012, 12:52 PM

No need to rush Ben back now. If he isn't 100% there is no point. The division is out of reach and the Steelers lost 2 lineman again yesterday so putting Ben back out there, he's going to take his licks.

I say fuck the division, rest Ben, Brown & Troy for another week and start our run towards health and a WC spot against San Diego. I'd rather have Ben back healthy for the playoffs as a 6th seed rather than him limping into them. We go as far as Ben, period.

steelfury02

11-26-2012, 12:59 PM

No need to rush Ben back now. If he isn't 100% there is no point. The division is out of reach and the Steelers lost 2 lineman again yesterday so putting Ben back out there, he's going to take his licks.

I say fuck the division, rest Ben, Brown & Troy for another week and start our run towards health and a WC spot against San Diego. I'd rather have Ben back healthy for the playoffs as a 6th seed rather than him limping into them. We go as far as Ben, period.

this. Plus - even though he won't be back next week, word is they just found out Ray Lewis will be back at very end of season, or right when playoffs start. As if they needed any more momentum and charge. I wouldn't put Ben out there. When you are starting to feel better, that is the exact time to STICK with what is making you feel better - not abandon it, especially for one game when division is all but theirs.

Terminator

11-26-2012, 01:32 PM

Not sure if anyone saw the ESPN article, but Ben's injury is healed. His doctor said there is now no unnecessary risk at this point. It's just a question of pain tolerance and if Ben can complete his full range of motion.

SteelersCanada

11-26-2012, 01:46 PM

No one is proposing that Ben play if there's a risk of reinjury - I'm not sure why we keep talking about it like "well, he could die!" when Tomlin would obviously sit him down if there was any chance of that. Recent reports have his injury healed and it's a matter of whether or not Ben can throw properly at this point. My bet is, he can and he'll play.